On February 13, 2016 at approximately 7:35 PM, Kingsport Police Patrol Officers responded to the stretch of roadway in front of Hardee’s Restaurant, located at 1405 East Stone Drive in Kingsport, in reference to a serious motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian. Due to the severity of injuries inflicted upon the pedestrian, the K.P.D. Traffic Unit was summoned to the scene to spearhead the investigation. The resultant inquiry revealed the following:

A silver 2003 Honda CRV, driven by Jamie Jason Hodge, was eastbound in the 1400 block of East Stone Drive in the far right lane. A pedestrian was crossing East Stone Drive in a north to south direction. Mr. Hodge stated that he realized that he had struck something, but was not initially sure what it was. He indicated that he traveled a short distance, turned around, went back to investigate, and realized that he had struck the pedestrian.

The pedestrian sustained serious injuries and was initially transported to Holston Valley Medical Center by Sullivan County E.M.S. for emergency treatment; however, he ultimately succumbed to his injuries and died approximately three hours after arriving at the hospital. Neither Mr. Hodge nor his passenger were injured during the incident.

During the course of the investigation, Mr. Hodge’s degree of cooperation began to decline. Based upon evidence collected at the scene, there was reason to believe that alcohol impairment may have been a factor in the crash. A search warrant was obtained, allowing retrieval of a sample of Mr. Hodge’s blood as potential evidence. That sample will be submitted to the T.B.I. Crime Lab for analysis.

The identity of the pedestrian will not be disclosed at this time pending notification of next of kin. This crash remains under active investigation by the K.P.D. Traffic Unit.